Friends Can't Date Friends
by Selphie Duckie
Summary: Friends can't date friends, right? It's like the unwritten code. But everything changes when Jen has a dream about a certain friend of hers. Jen & Jude. Nikki & Jonesy. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

She was dreaming… she knew she was, but she didn't care. Jen giggled as her mystery man was whispering sweet nothings in her ear, his breath tickling her. Then there were butterfly kisses, down the side of her neck, along her jaw, and one on the tip of her nose. When he started playing with her hair she sighed, "You're so amazing…" she trailed off when his face came into view, "…JUDE!"

Jen sat up in her bed with a start, eyes wide, awaken from her fantasy, "Holy crap… what the hell was that?"

* * *

Caitlin was squeezing a lemon when she saw Jen running at her looking like she just got out of a major fight during a 50 percent off sale at Albatross & Finch. "Jen, what happened?" she asked.

Jen managed to huff out, "Caitlin! I need your help!"

"Well first of all, your socks don't match, and you might want to use some concealer to hide those bags under your eyes… did you even comb your hair this morning?" she peered inquisitively at her friend.

"No… not that kind of help." Jen groaned and saw that Caitlin was frowning at her… she was probably wearing her sweater inside out or something. Taking a deep breath she said, "I had a dream… about Jude…"

Caitlin gasped, "A romantic dream?"

"Kind of…" she answered uncomfortably, it's not everyday you fantasize about a childhood friend.

She grabbed Jen by the shoulders, "Jen, no! You can't do that! I mean… look at him!" They both turned to Stick It and saw Jude nodding his head to some imaginary beat in his mind. "He's… Jude!"

"I know! I know! It's so weird… but… it was such a nice dream… he had such soft lips and warm hands…" she smiled and her eyes started glazing over.

"Snap out of it!" Caitlin shook Jen with all her might, "It's like the number one rule between friends! Never fall for a close friend! I mean, what would happen if you guys started like, dating?" she exclaimed, "And then, what would happen if you guys broke up? It would be so horrible!"

Jen rolled her eyes, "Why does this sound so familiar?"

"Hello! Nikki and Jonesy?" Caitlin hissed.

"What about Nikki and Jonesy?" a new voice asked. Gulping, they turned to see Nikki standing there with her infamous smirk.

"O-oh nothing, we were just naming all our friends, right Caitlin?" Jen nudged her.

"R-right! Nikki and Jonesy! Jude and Wyatt!" Caitlin shouted nervously

Nikki looked sceptical but shrugged, "Yea… right… ok, I don't believe that for one second but whatever. So, what's up guys?"

* * *

"Nikki, I know that we agreed to just be friends, but I can't help the fact that I have feelings for you, and I think you have feelings for me as well. I know you don't want to ruin this great friendship we have but I want us to have a chance. It may be awkward at first but we always enjoy a challenge, right? Please say you'll be my girl Nik, it would mean everything to me." Jonesy recited to his burger before taking a bite out of it.

"Dude... I don't know what to say man… that was pretty darn good." Jude patted him on the back.

"Hitting on your food again Jonesy?" Wyatt asked as he sat down with the guys.

"Nah man, I was practicing for Nikki."

Wyatt eyed him wearily, "Nikki? …I don't think that would be such a good idea. I mean you guys have been friends forever."

"I really like her though, she's not just a regular hot chick… she's special." Jonesy finished thoughtfully.

"Dude, that's so beautiful!" Jude sniffed and wiped away a tear.

"Um, right Jude. Anyway guys, I'm gonna see if I can find Nikki, later." Jonesy stood up walked towards the Khaki Barn.

Wyatt turned towards Jude, "Shouldn't we be stopping this? Jen and Caitlin certainly would."

"I don't know man, it seems like then we'd be standing in between their happiness."

"But we're not even sure if Nikki will go for it. Then Jonesy would be heartbroken." Wyatt stated.

"I think we all know that she likes him, dude." Jude smiled. Wyatt sighed, yes, it was true, and yes, this was bound to happen.

* * *

"Jude, huh? You sure know how to pick them, Jen." Nikki sniggered

"It was only one dream." Jen said exasperated

"Yea, we totally shouldn't blow this out of proportion." Caitlin picked at her perfectly manicured nails uneasily.

"Why not? I think Jude is one of the better guys that Jen has ever had a crush on." Nikki pointed out, "Sure he's a bit out of it, but she can bring him back to Earth from time to time and we know that he's not a creep."

Jen blushed, "I don't have a crush on him!"

"Jude is like the sweetest guy ever, but they're friends! Friends can't date friends! It'll ruin everything and everyone will be torn apart! It's like the worst possible thing!" cried Caitlin.

"Caitlin, get a hold of yourself, if Jen dated Jude it doesn't mean that our friendship will end. If they are happy together we should support them, because that's what friends do. Friends wouldn't try to break them apart for their own selfish reasons." Nikki retorted.

Slamming her hand down on the table Jen stood up, "Guys! I've had enough of this. I don't have a crush on Jude. I had one dream about him and that's it. Even if I did like him, Caitlin's right, it would strain our friendship and I wouldn't want that to happen."

"Agreed." nodded a relieved Caitlin.

Nikki looked shocked, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard… I'm gonna go to work."

Jen sighed as Nikki left, "Don't worry about it Jen, maybe she'll see it our way. And you're right, it was only a dream. I can't possibly imagine Jude being romantic anyways." She giggled and gave Jen a thumbs up.

"Yea… I should get to work too. See you later Cait." Jen gave her a grateful smile and left as well.

* * *

Nikki frowned as she made her way to the Khaki Barn, "Friends can't date friends. God, where do they come up with these things?" A look of realization hit her and she stopped short. Isn't that what she said to Jonesy before? That she didn't want to ruin what the six of them had?

"Oh. My. God… I'm a hypocrite." her frown deepened.

Deep down she knew that she liked Jonesy, they had been best friends since like ever, they knew each other instead and out, besides… he was kind of cute… like a puppy. That excuse that she had used was really… just an excuse. Then what was holding her back? What was she afraid of? Nikki Wong… was afraid? "Bullshit." She muttered under her breath.

Not really wanting to figure this all out now, she decided to go to work first. She was already an hour or two late and the clones probably thought she was dead… and were celebrating. Nikki took comfort in knowing that she was about to ruin their day.

* * *

For some reason, Jude was in the Penalty Box… and he was talking… to her. She couldn't really make out what he was saying, he always had these crazy stories before, but right now all Jen could do was stare at his moving lips and wonder how they would feel on hers. Funny, she never thought about stuff like that before. She was forgetting to do something, but she couldn't remember what… oh right… breathe.

Taking a deep breath she heard, "…-and then the flying gorillas broke into my room and tried to steal my boxers! The next thing I know-"

Cutting him off, Jen asked, "Jude, what are you doing here?"

"Hmm, I don't quite remember, but since I'm here, I guess I'll hang out with you." Jude smiled.

Hang out? That's what friends do right? "I guess that's ok… just make sure Coach doesn't see us talking, I'm supposed to be stacking these new running shoes."

"No problem, dudette, I'll help you." He offered as he bent down to pick up the boxes.

Don't you dare check out his butt, Jen sternly told herself as her eyes roamed over to Jude. Oh man, Caitlin's going to kill me, she thought. Still, she couldn't help herself and giggled because Jude had a cute butt… a very cute butt.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Heeey, sorry for the wait, I was kinda busy and had a bit of writer's block. Anyways, thanks for all the support, but I think we all know that Jen and Jude shall never be... cause he kinda likes Star. (sighs dramatically) On with the story!

* * *

"What do you say, ladies? You guys want a date with the Jonesmeister?" 

Was that Jonesy's voice? She couldn't believe what she was hearing, it made no sense, but her eyes confirmed her greatest fear. There was Jonesy, in typical flirt mode; one hand on hip, other arm straight, supporting himself on the wall and hovering over the clones. Her eyes darted back and forth. Jonesy. The clones. Jonesy. Clonesy. Jones. Clones. Clones. Jones. Jones. Clones. Clonesy. Jonesy… Jonesy… Jonesy…

"JONESY! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nikki yelled.

Jonesy looked up and grinned, "Nikki! There you are! I've been waiting for like ever man!"

"Like ew, Jonesy, you know her?" Chrissy asked

"Like ew, yeah. Now get out of my way before someone loses a tooth." Nikki snarled as the three of them backed down, she then proceeded to march towards Jonesy.

"Woah, what's wrong Nik? You look mad, you're not on your period, are you- OW!" he cried when Nikki grabbed his ear and pulled him in the direction of the change rooms. "What was that all about?" he whined as soon as she let go.

Nikki growled "God, Jonesy! You're such a guy!" she punched him on the arm, "And the clones! Don't tell me you're interested in them or I'm gonna hurl."

"Nah, I got my eyes set on someone else." Jonesy winked and nudged her.

Too angry to see his advance, Nikki continued on, "Can't you stop hitting on girls for one second? I mean, why do you always have your mind in the gutter? Do you get led around by what's inside your pants? You know what? Forget it, you're just a dumb, thick-headed, jock!"

Realising that she was being serious, Jonesy was taken aback, "O-oh yeah? Well what do you know? You're short!"

"Excuse me?" all thought flew out of Nikki's head, "What the hell? Did you just say I'm short?"

"Yeah! You are short, and you're right, I am a guy; I like checking out girls and hitting on girls. I don't see how that makes me a dumb jock. Not that it's any of your business, but I was only talking to the clones because I was waiting for you. I don't know where you were, but it was taking you damn long to get here. On second thought, maybe it's because you have such short legs. You know, most girls I date I don't have to bend down to talk to like I do with you." he said victoriously.

"Well I'm sorry I'm not an air-headed blonde Barbie who wears impossibly high heels so that you don't have to bend over." Nikki spat venomously, "I like wearing comfortable shoes and having a brain. Besides, as if I would ever date an egotistical jerk like you!"

The slam of a door seemed to wake Jonesy up. Great, what the hell just happened? Nikki was pissed and most likely she locked herself in one of the change rooms. "Nikki! Open up!" he pounded his fist on the door and tried opening it; yep, it was locked.

"Come on! Look, I'm sorry about what I said! I wasn't thinking!" he sighed and leaned his forehead on the door; the possibility of going out with Nikki now seemed hopeless. "…I know I'm the biggest jerk right now… but I came here to talk to you… and then you just blew up at me for no reason, I guess I just had to fight back."

Hearing no response Jonesy knew it was useless, Nikki was good at keeping grudges and she wasn't coming out of there any time soon. Cursing, Jonesy kicked over a small display by his foot and left the store.

Nikki closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. At least he was gone… she thought to herself.

* * *

Jen found that she enjoyed Jude's company. He was… well, he was different, for the lack of a better word. Not that different was a bad thing, he was also helpful, fun to be with, and he saw things in ways that would amaze you. 

She also realised that this was… "Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!" Jen shouted and banged her head repeatedly on the wall. She was thinking about him again, if fact, she hasn't stopped thinking about him ever since that dream.

Jen looked at Jude who had been stuck in the penalty box by Coach Halder earlier, what was it about him? He wasn't like the usual guys she'd fall for; he wasn't GQ hot, buff, or anything like that. He was quite the opposite; lanky, bad posture and he definitely had a short attention span. So what was it that she found attractive? What a minute… she found Jude… attractive? The guy who said, "Hey Jen, look at this!" and started juggling a football, soccer ball and a tennis ball. The guy who got startled when she yelled at him, lost his footing and knocked over an entire aisle. The guy who got sent to the penalty box by her boss and ultimately left her to clean up the mess?

"Argh! You are not attracted to him!" Jen cried and started banging her head again.

Coach Halder's voice rang through the store, "Masterson! You're chipping the paint!"

* * *

Caitlin looked at Wyatt… strange; there were usually four more people by now. "Hey, where is everyone?" she asked. 

"Beats me." Wyatt shrugged.

"Oh never mind, here comes Jonesy." Caitlin waved but Jonesy just sighed and plopped down in front of the giant lemon.

Wyatt raised an eyebrow, "What's up with you?"

"I pissed off Nikki and she locked herself in a change room and won't talk to me." Jonesy groaned, "You were right man, it's never gonna work between us. She hates my guts."

"Uh, there, there, Jonesy, I'm sure it's not that bad." Wyatt offered and glanced over to Caitlin for help.

"Oh dear, maybe I should check up on her…" she whispered and quickly took off her uniform. She then gave Wyatt a thumbs up and ran off towards the Khaki Barn.

"Yeah… I'll stay here and make sure Jonesy doesn't do anything stupid." Wyatt then saw a pretty hot girl walk by, last week Jonesy would've jumped up and asked for her number, now Jonesy didn't even look. "Oh the drama." sighed Wyatt.

* * *

"Welcome to the Khaki Barn!" Kristen greeted as she walked in. 

"Thanks! Um, I'm looking for Nikki…" Caitlin skimmed the store to see if she was there.

The clone rolled her eyes, "Apparently Nikki doesn't know that she doesn't get paid to sit around in the change rooms all day."

Caitlin smiled nervously, "Oh, ok, thanks… that's a cute top by the way." She made her way to the change rooms and saw a familiar pair of sneakers from the bottom of one. "Nikki? Is that you? Are you ok?"

The door opened slightly and a tired Nikki stuck her head out, "Oh thank God, I thought you were one of the clones for a minute. What are you doing here?"

"Well, Jonesy was all depressed and stuff so I thought I should check up on you."

"No shit, huh? Uh… come on in then, I guess I need someone to talk to." Nikki opened the door wider and pulled Caitlin in.


	3. Chapter 3

Jude watched as Jen rushed back and forth following Coach Halder's orders, attending to the customers and banging her head on various hard surfaces once in awhile when she caught herself staring at him. "…you need to chill, bra." he told her when she was carrying a bunch of equipment past him.

"Jude, I don't have time to chill. That mess you made earlier set me back and now I have all this work piling up non-stop." Jen grumbled frustrated.

"I told you to never startle a juggler, anyway as soon as I'm outta here, I'll help you out, I swear."

Jen blew a strand of hair out of her face, "No thanks, you're too distracting."

"How about a massage then? I've been told I'm pretty awesome at those." Jude cracked his knuckles for effect.

"I can't, these equipment aren't gonna stack themselves."

"Dude, I won't take no for an answer." Jude pulled a surprised Jen into the penalty box and sat her down in front of him.

"Jude! What do you think you're- oh… that's good…" she sighed and closed her eyes as Jude started massaging her shoulders.

Jude smiled, "Told ya so. Think of this as a much needed lunch break, hmm, that reminds me, shouldn't I be at Stick It right about now?" he added thoughtfully.

Jen wasn't even there. All she felt was Jude's wonderful hands kneading all the stress and tension away. She was pretty sure she was moaning. He was running his hands along her back, up and down her neck and across her shoulders.

"You ok there dudette?" he whispered while stroking the small of her back.

"Mmm…" she purred and drifted off as he continued his ministrations.

* * *

"I don't get it, what happened?" Caitlin asked.

"I don't know, he was just being typical Jonesy… and flirting with the clones." Nikki answered with distaste at the last part.

Caitlin gasped, "No!"

"Yeah! I mean, please, anyone but the clones. Then I just got so angry I blew up big time on him." she grimaced at the memory of their huge fight.

"Ouch, then what happened?"

"He said I was short! What the hell? That just pissed me off even more."

"Well… you are kinda on the short side…" Caitlin giggled.

Nikki glared at her before continuing, "He just gets me so mad sometimes, I don't even know why."

Caitlin sat and thought quietly about it for awhile. "Maybe you're… jealous?"

Nikki opened her mouth and closed it, then opened it again, "Jealous? Me? Hah, that's funny. No. I don't get jealous. There's no reason to. Why on earth would I be jealous?"

"Because! You like Jonesy and you don't want him flirting with other girls, especially not your mortal enemies." she blurted out.

"Who told you that? That is a filthy lie." Nikki looked around as if to see if there were people listening.

"Come on Nikki, it's obvious. Everyone knows you like him and that he's crazy about you. This is something that has been developing between you two since like, kindergarten, or so I'm assuming. I think you both need to face the fact that you care about each other and move on from there."

Nikki shifted uncomfortably, "Wow, you actually sounded kinda smart saying all that."

"I read a lot of Cosmo. This is like the classic story where best friends realise they've fallen for each other." Caitlin replied dreamily.

"Uh right…hey, wait, whatever happened to 'but friends can't date friends'?" she mimicked Caitlin.

She played with her butterfly clip and tugged at the hem of her shirt, "Well… I hadn't really thought about that. I just wanted to make things right between you and Jonesy. In theory there should be no problem with you guys dating, but look at it this way, it wouldn't be the same with us anymore. You two would be off together doing your own thing while the rest of us would be left out and things would be weird."

Nikki waved her hand dismissively, "Trust me, I have thought about it and that's what held me back in the first place. But you know what? That's really a stupid reason, I mean we're best friends; shouldn't we be happy if some of us got together? We always root each other on for everything else. Look at Jen, she's disillusioned herself with the idea that friends can't date friends because of things that might happen, and she's probably going crazy right now."

"Well, I guess I was wrong… there should be no reason why friends can't date. I know we'll all always support each other and besides you two are totally meant for each other." Caitlin gushed.

"Thanks… I highly doubt that… but it's nice hearing it." she smiled, "You know Caitlin, you're alright, and all this time I hated your guts."

Her jaw dropped, "You hated my guts?"

Nikki chuckled as she opened the change room door, "Nah, I'm kidding. Come on, I gotta make sure that idiot doesn't do something stupid."

"Oh, don't worry, Wyatt is in charge of that now." Caitlin giggled and followed Nikki out.

* * *

Walking towards the escalators with Nikki, Caitlin asked, "Should we check how Jen's doing?"

"Most def. If I know Jen, she should be freaking out, pulling her hair, aaand banging her head on the wall." Nikki counted on her hand.

Caitlin scratched her head, "Wow, that's pretty serious. You think she really likes Jude?"

"I don't know, it's possible." she shrugged.

"So… what should we do? Ice cream, chick flick or a make-over?"

"How about we slap her silly until she calms down?"

Caitlin nodded, "That sounds good too. So… what about what are you gonna do about Jonesy?"

Nikki stopped, "Uh… I haven't thought that far yet."

"You are going to get together with him, right?" she demanded, "What's the point of liking each other but not going out?"

"It's not that easy." Nikki retorted.

"How hard can it be?" Caitlin pushed on.

She started walking again, "Look, we'll talk about this later; I don't want to think about this now."

Caitlin sighed and followed along. Once they reached the Penalty Box they saw a content Jen sleeping on Jude's lap. Giving each other raised eyebrows they went over to their friends.

"Well, what have we here?" Nikki poked Jen.

"Aw, you guys look so cute!" Caitlin cooed.

"Yep, the patented Jude massage strikes again." Jude smiled and stretched, "Though my legs are kinda numb now…"

Nikki smirked, "Here, let me help you with that." She plugged Jen's nose until she couldn't breathe.

Jen snorted as she shot up, "Wha-what happened? What's going on?"

"You got a massage from Jude! Don't they feel heavenly?" Caitlin giggled and helped Jen up, "You also fell asleep on his lap." She whispered in her ear.

Jen's face started to turn red, "Please tell me you're joking."

They heard Jude in the background, "Aw man, I can't stand up."

"Nope, you guys looked so cute. So what happened? Give me all the mushy details!" squealed Caitlin as she hopped up and down.

"Nothing happened! I just fell asleep!" she hissed.

"Way to go kiddo!" Nikki yelled as she came over, "I didn't know you had it in you!" she slapped Jen on the back.

Caitlin looked around, "Where did Jude go?"

"Oh, I sent him on his way on a skateboard, he'll be fine. So, what happened Jen? It looked like you had fun." Nikki elbowed Jen.

Jen covered her ears with her hands, "Shut up, shut up! Nothing happened!"

"She's got it bad." sniggered Nikki.

Caitlin laughed, "Totally."


	4. Chapter 4

Wyatt looked at his discouraged friend and sighed, "I'd never thought you'd be giving up so easily, Jonesy."

"It's over man, I've tried and tried again… she doesn't want me." Jonesy downed another shot of his iced latte.

"You know, too much of those aren't good for you."

"Says the guy who drinks like five cups of coffee a day." he smirked.

Wyatt shrugged, "What can I say? It's in my blood."

"This sucks man! I need some alcohol!" Jonesy stood up and punched his fist against his palm.

Jude rolled in on his skateboard, "Dude! Did someone say alcohol?"

"Jude! Hook me up!" yelled Jonesy as he gave Jude a high five.

"Nah bro, I don't have any. I just wanted to know if I heard right."

Jonesy growled and banged his head on the table, "This is so not my day…"

"Did I miss something?" Jude asked while scratching his head.

"Jonesy's got some problems; Nikki problems to be exact." Wyatt explained.

"Oh, no biggie man, I had some Nikki problems myself just now."

"What? When? What are you talking about?" Jonesy demanded, "Where did you see Nikki?"

"Over at the Penalty Box dude, she totally laughed in my face when my legs were too numb to stand on." Jude nodded and placed a hand over his heart, "It hurt man… on the inside."

"Well, what do you know? She came out, maybe she's not mad anymore." Wyatt smiled at Jonesy.

"No way man, I pissed her off royally. She'll never talk to me again."

"Maybe Caitlin and Jen talked some sense into her."

Jonesy pointed at himself, "Then what do you want me to do? It's not like she'll want to see me or anything."

Wyatt grabbed him by the shoulders, "Come on man! You're the one who's always been telling me how much you dig her. If you want to go out with her you gotta do something about it. Nikki's not like those other girls, Jonesy, it's not going to be easy; tell her you're sorry, show her you're sincere and make her understand what she means to you. You have to work for it, because when it all comes down, that's what makes it worth while and that's what makes her special."

"Yeah! Carpe Diem, dude! Seize the fish!" Jude shouted.

Slapping his forehead Wyatt corrected, "Day, Jude. It's seize the day."

He winked, "Now you're getting it bro, you gotta seize something."

* * *

After the joking and laughter died down, all that was left was silence… an uncomfortable, hair twirling, nail picking, and lip chewing silence. Caitlin looked back and forth between Nikki and Jen who were both off in their own worlds and sighed. This was so much worse than having to mop up the Big Squeeze after hours.

"You know Caitlin, you don't have to stay here with us, I know it's boring. Try to find the guys or something." Nikki suggested

Almost tempted to take the easy way out Caitlin smiled, "It's ok, I want to stay with you girls."

"If you're sure, we're just thinking..." Nikki trailed off.

Jen nodded absentmindedly, "Yeah… just thinking…" her eyes widened as she shook her head, "Wait, no thinking. Thinking is bad, need to stop thinking."

Caitlin laughed to herself silently and propped her head up with her arm. She thought about the two scenarios. First there's Jen; Caitlin couldn't help her until she admits to herself that she has feelings for Jude. Until then, all that could be done was to keep on pushing. Second, there's Nikki; there was obviously something holding her back from hooking up with Jonesy and it wasn't because of the "friends couldn't date friends" rule. So the next step would be to figure what it was.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Caitlin clapped her hands together, "Why don't we go around the table and tell each other what we're thinking about… or not thinking about." she added when Jen shot her a look, "It's better than keeping things bottled up."

Nikki shrugged as Jen looked at her, "I guess that makes sense." Jen frowned.

Caitlin smiled, "Great! I'll go first. I'm thinking about whether I should buy those cute, new shoes with the 3-inched heels. I mean I think I already have two pairs like that at home but they're so in right now and totally me. Okay, your turn Nikki!"

Nikki rolled her eyes, "Fine… I'm thinking of how to approach Jonesy."

"Why? Did something happen?" Jen turned and asked.

"Oh right, you don't know. We got in a fight."

"So? You guys argue all the time."

"Yeah, but now Nikki also has to face her fears of getting together with Jonesy." Caitlin piped in.

"What? You can't go out with Jonesy!" exclaimed Jen.

Nikki looked annoyed, "And why not? I'm not stopping you from going out with Jude."

"I don't want to date Jude, I don't even like Jude!" Jen cried.

Caitlin placed a hand on her shoulder, "Jen, you have to stop lying to yourself. Is it really that bad to like a friend?"

"Yes! Because it's so wrong! I can't even stop thinking about him, we're like best friends! You're not supposed to think of your best friend like this!" she placed her hoodie over her head and pulled the strings so that it covered her face.

"Jen, please stop banging you head on the table." sighed Nikki

She groaned and brought her hood down, "I'm not strong like you Nik."

"Strong? Please, I'm too chicken to date Jonesy, I'm not strong."

"But at least you've come to terms with your feelings."

"I don't get it Jen; you've never had such a hard time doing that with other guys before." said Caitlin.

"I-I haven't?" Jen look bewildered.

Nikki snorted, "No way, once you have a guy in your sights you're almost as bad as Jonesy."

"I am not! You guys make me sound so desperate."

"Um…" Caitlin and Nikki looked at the ceiling and whistled in unison.

Jen rolled her eyes, "Ok, I get the idea."

"So why is Jude any different?" Caitlin asked.

"It's Jude, how much more different can you get?" chuckled Nikki.

Ignoring her, Caitlin suggested, "Maybe it's because all those other guys were just one time, hot guy crushes, but with Jude, you see what's inside and that's why you like him but can't admit it."

Jen raised an eyebrow, "How do you know Jude isn't a one time, hot guy crush?"

Nikki burst out laughing, "Are you listening to yourself?"

"Ok, that was a dumb question, but you gotta admit, he is kinda cute." Jen defended.

"See? You like him." Caitlin smiled.

"Oh. My. God." Her eyes widened as she slowly fell forward and landed face down on the table.

"Geez, I thought I told you to stop doing that." Nikki sighed.

"We should probably let it sink in first." Caitlin nodded her head expertly, "So while we wait, let's deal with your problem."

"Wait, what problem? Why are you looking at me like that?" she raised her hands protectively and backed away.

"We have to figure out what to do about you and Jonesy."

"No, we don't. Are you trying to do what you just did with Jen? You sneaky little-"

Caitlin gave her best puppy dog eyes, "I'm just trying to help."

"I know, and I appreciate it, but this is something I need to do on my own. This isn't group therapy or something."

"That's the thing, you don't have to. We're your friends and we totally support you. I just want you guys to be happy."

Nikki slumped her shoulders in defeat, "I guess…"

"Good, we're gonna do something that I think will help, sit down." Caitlin stood behind Nikki's chair, "Ok, close your eyes, back straight, chin up, and shoulders back. Now, I want you to get all your frustrations and insecurities out."

* * *

"Guys, I don't know…" Jonesy muttered.

Wyatt and Jude looked at each other and nodded. "Ok Jonesy, take a seat. I want you to just let it all out and get rid of your negative feelings." Wyatt explained.

"Dude, that's girls' stuff. I'm not gonna share my feelings!" said Jonesy disgustedly.

Jude shook his head, "Come on man, all this negativity is like, totally harshing on your mellow. You gotta get it out of your body and mind and let the tranquility flow back in, dude."

"Er… what Jude said." agreed Wyatt.

* * *

Nikki bit her lip, "Man, where do I even start? I guess the biggest thing is that..."

"We fight… all the time." Jonesy explained.

"I mean, he's such a flirt! He's always chasing some skirt."

"She has such a short temper! She kicks my ass way too much."

"Honestly? I'm scared of ruining things."

"I'm tired of getting shot down, man. Seriously, how much can a guy take?"

"Like, what if we don't work out? I don't want to lose my best friend."

"I'm only one man! What does she want from me? I don't know what more I could do."

"Ugh, he drives me crazy!" Nikki made fists with her hands.

"She's crazy! What kind of girl doesn't want me? Check out these abs!" Jonesy lifted his shirt and pointed at his stomach.

Nikki smiled slightly, "Dumbass."

Jonesy chuckled, "Crazy beautiful… hey, isn't that a movie or something?"

* * *

Wyatt coughed, "Uh, so, feel better?"

"Glad you got that off your chest?" Caitlin asked.

* * *

Nikki answered, "Yeah, I am, actually."

"You wanna know I'm feeling? I'm feeling good, baby!" Jonesy smacked Wyatt on the back.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey everyone! Yay, it's a new chapter (finally)! Thank you guys so much for your reviews and your patience, it means a lot. Uh... I know the last part in the previous chapter was a bit confusing but I found that it worked out best that way. Hope it wasn't too hard to read. Anyways enjoy. )

* * *

Behind one of the many potted plants inside the mall, Caitlin set up her position. She slowly poked her head through her hiding spot and saw that the coast was clear. Giving the signal, Caitlin spoke into her walkie-talkie, "Testing, testing. This is Hidden Dragon, Operation: Hook-up is now commencing." 

"Ok, wait; explain what we're doing again." Nikki said while adjusting her earpiece.

"We're hooking up you and Jonesy. Didn't you listen when I explained the whole thing?" she whispered.

"I did! I swear! But what's the deal with all this secret spy stuff?"

"It's more fun this way!" Caitlin looked around, "Jen, are you there?"

"Crouching Tiger reporting for duty, subject is found spotted at the Big Squeeze." Jen said from her location behind a trash bin.

"Did you hear that Nikki? He's right where I left him, go get him!"

Nikki chuckled and continued walking towards the lemon, "Man, you guys watch way too many movies."

* * *

Jude yawned and stretched as he stood up, "So what are you gonna do now, dude?" 

Jonesy shrugged, "I don't know, find Nikki and apologize I guess."

"Well don't look now, but here she comes." Wyatt pointed out and got up, "We'll leave you two alone."

"Good luck, dude!" Jude gave Jonesy the thumbs up.

"Come on Jude," Wyatt urged, he nodded as they passed Nikki, "Hey."

"Sup guys." Nikki replied.

Jude waved, "We're getting lunch, later bra."

Jonesy scratched the back of his neck nervously as Nikki approached him, "Hey Nikki." he said looking at his shoes.

She bit her lip and smiled awkwardly, "Hey..."

"I uh…" they both started at the same time. With their mouths left open, they laughed it off uneasily.

"You first." Nikki offered.

"Thanks… I'm sorry Nik, I really am. I'm a jerk, I know it." Jonesy blurted out, "I just… I want to be with you."

Nikki's eyes softened and her heart thumped loudly inside her chest, "Jonesy… I-"

"Eee!" she was interrupted by Caitlin's voice squealing in her ear, "Tell him you love him!"

Oh shit, Nikki thought, I forgot they were listening. She sighed and turned off her earpiece. "I'm sorry too Jonesy, I said some stuff I didn't mean and I'm just as big a jerk as you are."

Jonsey smiled, "Apology accepted, friends?" he opened his arms for a hug.

"Best friends." Nikki laughed and gave him a big squeeze.

* * *

"Jen! I can't hear what they're saying, can you?" Caitlin asked. 

"No, it's not working, or she must've turned her earpiece off." Jen answered through the walkie-talkie.

She propped herself up on her knees, "Why would she do that? Oh! They're hugging! They must've made up!"

"Caitlin! Get down! Jonesy'll see you!" hissed Jen.

* * *

Nikki looked up at Jonesy to see him squinting at something over her shoulder, "Something wrong?" she asked. 

"Is that… Caitlin? Behind those plants?"

She turned around to see a familiar blonde head sticking out from some leaves. "Uh… you must be imagining things… how about we go… grab something to eat? I'm hungry."

Jonesy paused for a second, "Sure, if you want." he agreed forgetting about Caitlin.

Close call… Nikki thought to herself as she led Jonesy further into the food court.

* * *

"Caitlin, they're leaving." Jen plugged her nose; kneeling next to the trash wasn't such a good idea for a hiding place, she though vaguely. 

"I know! What do we do now?"

Jen was about to answer but she stopped when she saw two shadows hovering over her.

Hearing no response from her partner in crime, Caitlin repeated, "Jen? Did you hear me?"

"Uh… Cait? We've been caught."

"What do you mean?" Caitlin looked over to where Jen was and saw Wyatt and Jude standing behind her. "Oh… abort mission?"

"Yea, no sh-"

Wyatt cut Jen off, "What are you doing?"

Jen giggled nervously, "Ah… Coach asked me to test out these new walkie-talkies that we got in stock."

"Awesome, dudette! Let me try." Jude took the walkie-talkie from Jen and cleared his throat, "Ahem. Breaker breaker, what's your 20? We've got a smokey at our backdoor on a Tijuana taxi! 10-4, good bud-dy!"

"Gimme that!" Jen frowned and snatched the walkie-talkie back.

Wyatt watched wearily as Caitlin came to join them, "Are you sure you guys weren't just spying on Nikki and Jonesy?"

Caitlin gasped, "Wyatt, spying is such a harsh word. We were merely…"

"Eavesdropping? Snooping around? I've got a ton of other words to describe it." Wyatt scoffed.

"It's not like Nikki didn't know about it. We were just helping her by giving her moral support." Jen rolled her eyes.

"She even let us do it, but we missed half of it anyways." Caitlin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Wyatt held up his hands, "Ok, I'm sorry. I just think you two butt in to everyone else's business too much. One's privacy is like a sacred thing."

Jen scowled, "Don't get all high and mighty on us. I bet you're just as curious as to what they were talking about."

"Yea, you need to learn to relax sometimes Wyatt, stop being so serious." Caitlin agreed.

"Hey! I-" Wyatt started, but was interrupted by an eerily familiar voice.

"You four, with the walkie-talkies." The voice commanded.

Slowly, they all turned to face Ron with a stern look on his face. "Is… something wrong?" Caitlin stepped up to the Security and asked.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "I happened to be on the same channel and heard some very reckless ways of communication. These things are not toys soldier! They're for orders and instructions!" Ron lectured strictly at the group, "Why, back in the war, when we got separated from the rest of the troop, all we had was a pocket knife, matches, and a walkie-talkie! Next thing you know-"

"Oh no, we better leave before he continues on with one of his horrifying flashbacks." Wyatt whispered.

Jen nodded, "Ok, on the count of three we run for it. One… three!"

"You heard the lady! Let's move!" Jude shouted and got a head start on his skateboard leaving the Rent-a-cop behind.

* * *

They sat in front of Wonder Taco after receiving their orders. "You know it's so obvious they spit in the tacos." Nikki commented as Jonesy stuffed his face. 

"No way! Here, try some, it's so good." He gushed and shoved one in front of her.

Nikki grimaced, "Ugh. No thanks, but I will take some fries." She laughed and popped some in her mouth.

Jonesy pursed his lips and gave her a concentrated look as she ate. She raised an eyebrow, "What? Did I get ketchup on my face?"

He coughed and turned away, "Are you busy tonight?"

"Are you… asking me out?" Nikki looked taken aback and a bit flushed.

He paused to think, "No…"

"Jonesy…"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to see a movie or something… as friends. I'm willing to take it slow if you want." Jonesy explained gingerly.

Nikki bit her lip and took everything into consideration. Making up her mind she sighed, "Alright look. If we're gonna go out, we need to get some things straight."

Jonesy's expression slowly spread into a smile, "Wait, you're giving me a chance? Woo! Who da man? I rule!"

"Shut up and listen! First of all, I don't want you flirting with other girls. I'll admit it, I get jealous." She muttered.

He grinned, "Done, I only have eyes for you."

Nikki smirked and shook her head disbelievingly, "And if anything ever happens… I don't want us to stop being friends."

Jonesy placed his hand on top of hers, "Nikki, no matter what, I promise we'll always be friends." He entwined their fingers together, "So you up for a movie tonight? My treat."

She looked at their interlaced hands and smiled, "Yea, I'd like that."

* * *

"So uh, do you think we lost him?" Wyatt asked from his squished condition. 

The four of them had run into a photo booth to hide from Ron and were currently in an uncomfortable yet very entertaining situation. Jen was having the hardest time of all considering she was literally pressed up against Jude. She kept looking back at Caitlin for help who only smiled knowingly and nudged her closer to him.

"I think we're safe now. We should probably get out." Jen said breathlessly.

"No!" Caitlin exclaimed quickly, "He might still be out there!"

"Totally, we shouldn't risk it, man. That dude is scary." Jude drawled, "Hey Jen, you smell good." He spoke into her hair.

She blushed and mumbled, "Thanks." Jen tried not to think about how close they were to each other except she couldn't help but shiver when Jude started moving around to get into a more comfortable position which caused him to brush up against her, "Caitlin, I'm gonna kill you." She gritted through her teeth.

"Oh you'll thank me later. Just enjoy it for now." She whispered back and winked.


	6. Chapter 6

The four of them had decided to play a game to pass the time in the photo booth. "I spy with my little eye, something starting with the letter 'C'."

Caitlin clapped her hands together and jumped, "Ooh! I know! Me!"

"Right on, dudette!" Jude cheered.

"Yay! Ok, my turn. I spy with my little eye, something…" She looked around and suddenly smiled when her eyes landed on Jen, "purple." Caitlin concluded.

Jude snapped his fingers, "Nikki's hair!"

"Jude, Nikki's not even here." Jen chuckled lightly.

His shoulders slumped as he remembered the rules of the game, "Oh yeah."

"What about Jen's sweater?" Wyatt thought with one hand on his chin.

Caitlin shook her head, "Nope, guess again."

Jen bit her bottom lip and gazed at the ceiling, "I'm gonna go with the photo booth itself."

"Nuh-uh. This one's a toughie." Caitlin beamed, hardly able to contain her excitement.

Meanwhile, Jude had an intent look on his face. Glancing around the small space, he contemplated, what else was purple? And then it hit him, they were in front of him all along. Wide and attractive, drawing him in. "I got it!" He yelled as everyone looked at him.

Jen was starting to grow uncomfortable, Jude was staring right at her and she didn't know why. Was there something on her face? Did he catch her trying to smell his shirt? Was he on to her little crush? Feeling more and more vulnerable, she squirmed. She needed to get out. Right. Now.

"Jen's eyes are purple!" Jude finished proudly.

"Yeah! That was amazing, Jude!" squealed Caitlin.

He grinned and nodded, "Told ya, I'm awesome at this."

"Really? I always thought they were blue." Wyatt mused

Jen let out a breath she was holding in, "Actually, Wyatt's right, they are more blue than purple."

"Aw, but they do look purple, besides, saying that makes it more exotic." Caitlin pouted. She then sniffed the air and made a face, "Ew, what's that smell?"

They turned to hear Jude snigger and look innocent, "Safety."

"Aw man, that's nasty!" Wyatt exclaimed as he ran out of the booth.

"Jude! Gross!" The girls agreed and quickly followed suit.

* * *

Walking briskly so that the guys couldn't overhear them, Caitlin said, "So, I bet you had fun didn't you?" 

Jen placed her hands on her cheeks, "No! It was so embarrassing. I felt like I was gonna die in there!"

Caitlin gave her a pointed look. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad. I could see you about to throw yourself at him and go, 'Take me, Jude! Take me now!'" She acted out dramatically placing her arm across her forehead.

"Shh! They're gonna hear you!" hushed Jen, "It was a kind of fun actually." She admitted afterwards.

"See, I told you to trust me!" giggled Caitlin, "Hey! That looks like Nikki and Jonesy over there. Let's go say hi!" she pointed to the couple sitting at the food court.

The two that were spotted looked up hearing the commotion and recognized their four friends approaching them.

"Oh crap! The gang's coming, hide!" Jonesy yelled and dove under the table.

Meanwhile, Nikki rolled her eyes and waved back, "Sup, guys?"

"Oh, y'know, the usual hide-and-seek from Ron the rent-a-cop." answered Wyatt.

Jen kneeled down, "Jonesy, what are you doing underneath the table?"

His eyes darted back and forth, "Uh… I dropped… something." he mumbled.

"Dude, there's some gum in your hair." Jude pointed to the gum stuck to the bottom of the table.

"Aw man, gross!" Jonesy jumped out and felt the top of his head. Sure enough, it was sticky.

Nikki tsked and motioned for him to sit down, he pouted and took the chair beside her. Everyone watched as Nikki carefully tried to take out the gum and flinched when Jonesy let out a blood-curling scream.

Nikki inspected the patch of hair she pulled out and sighed, "That's what you get for being stupid."

Jen raised an eyebrow, "So, I take it you guys are ok now?

Jonesy smiled sheepishly while rubbing his head, "Better. We're going out."

Time seemed to stop as the four stared in shock with their mouths wide open. Nikki and Jonesy glanced at each other uncertainly when no one said anything and wondered if they did the right thing telling their friends. Bracing themselves for the biggest lecture of their life, they breathed out sighs of relief when Jude let out a loud 'whoop!' and Caitlin squealed.

The guys gave Jonesy high fives while the girls hugged Nikki.

"I'm so happy for you guys!" Caitlin hopped up and down.

Wyatt smiled, "Yea, congrats guys."

"About time!" Jude and Jen managed to yell at the same time, she blushed as Jude turned to her, "Alright, dudette! We're totally on the same wave length." He smiled and he held out his hand as Jen nodded mutely and returned a weak five.

* * *

The excitment having died down, Jude pushed his chair out and stood up, "Gotta jet, dudes and dudettes. Don't want to have Wayne harshing on my mellow again." A chorus of "Later, Jude." was heard as he took off on his skateboard. Not long after, they saw Jude flying over their heads and crashing into a wastebasket nearby. 

Caitlin screamed, "Ohmygosh! Jude!"

"What happened, man?" Jonesy and the rest of the gang ran over.

Jen hovered over his body and gently patted his face, "Jude? Are you ok?"

Slowly opening his eyes, he weakly coughed out, "Dude… I can totally see your panties…" Blushing bright red, Jen quickly stood up and covered the front of her skirt, but not before giving Jude a swift kick. "Ow…"

"Jerk!"

"What colour are they?" Jonesy couldn't help asking.

Nikki slapped him on the back of his head, "Pervert! She's your step-sister!"

"Sorry! Force of habit!" he replied half-heartedly.

They barely heard the groan below them, "Baby… blue." Jude still managed to make out.

Jen looked mortified, suddenly Caitlin exclaimed, "Hey! Are those the ones you bought with me? I'm wearing the pink ones I got!" she pulled down her skirt a little to show the colour of the waistband.

"Yea, those ones" Jen confirmed, returning to her normal colour.

"I love them!" Caitlin gushed, "They're so cute. What colour are you wearing Nikki?"

Nikki scratched her head, "Huh? I don't remember, lemme check." she looked down her pants, "Black."

In the meantime, Wyatt and Jonesy were standing around speechless.

"This is what girls talk about?!" Wyatt yelled incredulously.

"This is awesome!" Jonesy cried.

Jude grunted from the floor, "Uh guys… a lil help?"

* * *

A/N: Eheheheh. Sorry for the wait. Thanks so much for sticking around. I'm gonna be honest now and tell you guys that I have absolutely no idea where this story is gonna go next. That's why it takes me so long to write it. So... next update? I don't know. It will most likely take a while. 

Anyway, just a few notes. 1. Jen's eyes really do look purple to me, don't you think?  
2. When I first started writing this, Jude still worked at Stick It and Wyatt at Spin This. Just wanted to update a little.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I updated! Yay! Thanks for sticking around. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

After 15 minutes of Jude lying sprawled on the floor, Jen started to worry.

"Jude, are you sure you're alright?" she asked with a frown.

"Maybe we should get a doctor, or go to the hospital." Caitlin suggested.

Jude tilted his neck back to look up at them, "Nah, s'okay… just having a little trouble moving my body."

"Okay, let's get Jude to work. Can you walk?" Wyatt bent down to put one of Jude's arm around his shoulders.

Jonesy took the other arm and the two of them propped Jude to his feet, "Man that was one helluva wipeout."

"Totally… I can't feel my butt."

The girls shook their heads as the trio slowly but surely made their way to Underground Video. Nikki nudged Jen with her elbow, "You look like you're about to have a nervous breakdown, he'll be fine."

Jen flinched, "What are you talking about? I'm fine."

"Then stop frowning! You're gonna get wrinkles!" Caitlin exclaimed and tried to smooth out the lines on her forehead with her fingers.

"Caitlin! Get off me!"

Satisfied for now, Caitlin turned to Nikki, "So, ready for your date?"

"Yeah, what are you gonna wear?" Jen asked while rubbing her forehead.

Nikki shrugged and looked down at herself, "I'm just gonna go like this."

"What? You can't do that!" cried Caitlin.

"What do you mean? This is what I always wear. Besides, it's just Jonesy."

"Yeah, but you guys are dating now. It's totally different."

"I have to agree." Jen nodded.

Nikki looked unsure, "I don't think it's that big a deal..."

Caitlin shook her head firmly, "It's your first date, of course it is!" She grabbed Nikki's hand and proceeded to drag her away, "Come on, we're gonna go to the spa to get a makeover!"

* * *

Wayne raised an eyebrow as he saw the method his employee used to come in, "What happened this time?"

"Jude flew into a wastebasket." Wyatt replied easily. The two unceremoniously dumped Jude on one of the brown couches with a giant "Oof!"

Wyatt looked on as Jude moved around to make himself comfortable, "You okay, man? Need anything?"

"I'm good, I'm just gonna lie here for a bit, 'kay dude?" Jude asked while reaching for the remote to turn on the television.

Wayne scoffed, "It's not like you ever do any work anyways."

"Hey Wayne," Jonesy leaned over the counter, "What movie would you recommend for an awesome first date?"

He didn't even have to think, "Tch, as if they're showing any quality movies at the theatre. It doesn't matter anyways cause you're gonna be seeing a chick flick tonight"

"No way! What are you talking about?"

"A-duh, it's your first date."

"And Nikki is a girl…" Wyatt piped in.

Jonesy's jaw dropped, "Aw man, I ain't paying to sit through that!"

Jude raised his arm from his position on the couch, "You know, I would have to disagree, Nikki may be a chick but I don't think she's into chick flicks."

Wyatt rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "True… but she is into DawgToy, and you know how girly the girls get with them."

"Be that as it may, she, like me is also a true Mighty Weasels fan and that cancels out any lame-o boy band crushes."

Wyatt considered this taste in music cancelation rule, "Hmm… so basically you have a 50-50 chance of seeing a chick flick Jonesy."

"I like those odds!" Jonesy snapped his fingers and winked.

Wayne rolled his eyes, "Whatever… so… you and Nikki, huh?"

"Better believe it."

"Nice…" Wayne whistled in appreciation.

* * *

'This is ridiculous.' Nikki thought to herself, 'I've been sitting here for over an hour getting mud and seaweed and other nasty smelling stuff on my face and it doesn't look like she's gonna stop anytime so- "Ow!" she yelped when the cosmetician plucked her eyebrow.

"You had stray hair." Helga said in her thick accent, she turned Nikki towards the mirror, "Voilà, I am done."

Caitlin popped up behind her, "Oh wow, you look totally amazing!

Nikki squinted at her reflection, "...I look exactly the same."

"No way!" Caitlin pointed to a cheek, "See, your pores are smaller."

Helga smiled looking proud, "Yes, the dullness in skin is gone and so are the dark circles under eyes."

Nikki wasn't impressed, "...Thanks." she answered dryly.

* * *

Jen looked up from her magazine as Caitlin approached, "Hey, how'd the makeover go?"

"Helga is the best and Nikki looks totally date ready." Caitlin gushed.

Jen leaned over to peek behind Caitlin, "Uh, she looks the same to me."

Caitlin brushed off the comment, "You'll see when she comes closer." taking a seat beside Jen, she decided to bring up a touchy subject. "Hey… so are you really okay with friends dating?"

Jen closed her magazine and threw it on top of the stack, "Well… Nikki and Jonesy kinda are already…"

Caitlin nodded enthusiastically, "I know, I thought it'd be weird but I'm actually really happy for them."

"Yeah, me too." Jen smiled, "So, I guess that means I am okay with it."

Edging closer to Jen, Caitlin asked slyly, "Now, are you really okay with liking Jude?"

Jen bit her lip and rocked back and forth in her seat slowly, "Yeah… yeah, I- Ah, I can't do it! It's Jude!" she started pulling at her hair.

"Jen! You know, I think you two would look so cute together. Give it a chance." Caitlin urged comfortingly.

She stopped pulling and sat up straight, "…You really think we would look good together?"

"I think you two would look so cute, it'd make me want to barf." Nikki snickered as she stopped in front of them.

"Hey!" Jen strained her eyes, "Did your pores get smaller?"

Nikki ignored Caitlin's beaming face and turned to leave, "Let's just go." she groaned.

* * *

A burst of laughter caused Wayne to look up from his computer to the three guys currently occupying his couches and watching TV. He narrowed his eyes at them. "Hey fart-knockers!" Startled, the trio jumped and looked wide-eyed at Wayne.

He pointed at Jonesy, "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your date?" turning to Wyatt next, "Shouldn't you be grilling burgers?" finally, he glared at Jude, "And shouldn't you be able to move now? I need to take my break."

Wyatt and Jonesy quickly leaped up and out of the store muttering things like, "Gotta go!" and "Later Jude!" not wanting to face Wayne's incurring wrath.

Jude tried to follow suit but only succeeded in rolling right off the couch and onto the floor with a loud 'Thud!' instead. Satisfied, Wayne smiled and left to buy himself a snack.

* * *

Glancing at passing stores' window displays Jen asked, "What's next on the list?"

"A new outfit!" Caitlin squealed, any excuse to shop was always fun.

Nikki stopped in her tracks, "Woah, hold up, we're just going to the movies."

"It doesn't matter. You want the first time he looks at you to be imprinted in his brain forever." Caitlin sighed dramatically, "When he thinks back to your first date do you want him to remember something special or just a plain regular date?"

Nikki rolled her eyes, "Fine… just no Crappy Barn stuff."

"Huntington's having a sale right now." noted Jen.

"Perfect! Let's go!" Caitlin grabbed both their hands and dragged them into the store.

* * *

Wyatt's cell started ringing right after he finished handing change to a customer. Flipping open his phone, he spoke, "Hey."

"I ran out so fast I forgot to ask, how does one get ready for a date?" Jonesy was on the other line.

Wyatt chuckled, "I don't know. Flowers? Candy? The usual."

"Flowers, eh? Isn't that too much for a date to the movies? I think I'm just gonna go with chocolate, Nikki likes chocolate right?"

"I suppose." Wyatt thought, having a faint memory of Nikki stuffing her face with the brown goodness.

"Awesome, I don't have to change do I?"

"Nah, I doubt Nikki will dress up for the movies." Wyatt confirmed.

"Sweet!"

* * *

"Cute!" Caitlin cried as Nikki stepped out of the change room.

"Wow, you look amazing!" Jen exclaimed inspecting her purple spaghetti strap dress.

Nikki looked at herself in the mirror, "I don't know… it seems a little much."

"It's perfect. If this doesn't have Jonesy melt into a puddle, I don't know what will!" Caitlin giggled.

Nikki sighed and smiled at her reflection, well, she did look darn good in this dress. "Okay, I'll take it." Checking the time on her cell phone she cursed, "Shoot, I gotta go meet Jonesy at the theatre!"

"Go get him girl!" Jen yelled encouragingly as Nikki ran off.

"Good luck!" Caitlin called out, "Eee! I'm so excited."

"I know!" Jen beamed, she didn't know why, but she was feeling extremely happy. Was all this because two of her best friends, Nikki and Jonesy, were hooking up? Maybe this friends dating friends thing was workable. "Cait… I think…. I'll give it a chance."

Caitlin squealed and hugged her friend, "Omigosh! I knew you would!"

Jen laughed, "Calm down, I don't even know if Jude likes me the same way."

"Hmm, you're right. We need to get the guys' perspective on this." Caitlin clapped her hands as an idea popped in her head, "I know!"

* * *

Jonesy tapped his foot nervously as he waited for Nikki in front of the movie theatre. This was it; he was actually going out with Nikki! Turning to his right his jaw dropped. There was said girl, sprinting in heels and a dress that showed off her curves in all the right places. She stopped in front of him a little out of breath. Exhaling slowly, she grinned up at him and he couldn't breathe. The short jog had given her a nice pink flush over her cheeks.

Nikki chuckled, Jonesy was speechless, that was a good thing right? "Hey, what's wrong with you?" she teased.

"Wow… you look… wow…" Jonesy breathed out slowly, his eyes reflected his appreciation.

She blushed prettily, "Thanks… Caitlin and Jen's idea." noticing Jonesy was just wearing his regular clothes she added, "I feel kinda silly actually, getting dressed up for a movie."

Jonesy reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Nikki's ear, "Don't. You look great."

'That made everything worthwhile.' Nikki thought to herself happily, 'Even though I have a thong up my butt.'

"O-oh here, I got you some chocolate." Jonesy took a giant chocolate bar out of his pocket and handed it to her.

Eyeing the chocolate bar she laughed, "Thanks, you Casanova, you."

Jonesy cracked his knuckles, "Yup, that's me. So what do you want to watch?" they both looked up to see what was playing, "Lemme guess, chick flick?"

Nikki shook her head, "Are you kidding me? I've had it up to here with Caitlin's girly stuff! We're watching the one with the most action. C'mon you're getting me popcorn too." she grabbed his arm and pulled a relieved Jonesy towards the ticket stand.

"God, I love this girl!"

* * *

Back at Underground Video, Jude was retelling a grand tale of bottles of beer on a wall to Caitlin.

"Then you take that one down and pass it around, and there are 86 bottles of-"

Caitlin cut him off, "Jude. I get it, it's ok."

"If you say so bra, I sometimes get kinda confused so I'd thought I'd make sure." He grinned and started putting the DVDs that he was using as props back on their respective shelves.

'This isn't working,' thought Caitlin. Her plan had been to try and get into Jude's head but that was proving a bit difficult. Taking the direct approach she asked, "Jude, how you ever thought about dating again? You know like, kind of what you had with Starr- I mean Nebula."

Jude shrugged, "I dunno, I did have other girlfriends… but it wasn't the same. Starr was special."

Caitlin's eyes softened, "Aw Jude… I know exactly how you feel… I mean, Talon was special… so was Joe… a-and Seth." she sighed, "I really thought he was the one." Jude didn't say anything but smiled.

"So what did you like about Starr?"

"She was so fun to hang out with, and pretty… plus she liked me! She was the most awesomest girl ever!" Jude reminisced, "But then she changed and everything changed." He turned sadly to Caitlin, "Do you think maybe I need to change?"

Caitlin looked alarmed, "No Jude! We tried goth remember? It's not you, you're perfect the way you are." She gave him a big hug to stop him from thinking otherwise.

Jude hugged back, "Thanks dudette."

* * *

'Getting into Wyatt's head shouldn't be too hard.' Jen reasoned to herself and walked into Burger McFlipsters, "Hey Wyatt."

"Hey Jen." he greeted.

She looked around the half empty restaurant, "Where's all your fans?"

Wyatt shrugged, "The lunch crowd just left, so it's kinda slow."

Jen leaned over the counter, "Question."

He raised an eyebrow, "Go ahead."

"You're okay with this friends dating friends thing, right?"

Wyatt thought for a bit, "Well, to be honest, I was skeptical at first, but then I thought that it wasn't so bad and I can live with it."

"I don't hear singing~" Tim told his kitchen staff.

"My burger lies over the ocean, my burger lies over the sea…" the melody floated over to the cashier.

Jen chuckled, "I thought they let you rewrite all their songs."

"They really like that one." smiled Wyatt.

"Okay, back to our conversation… what would you do if say, one of your close friends had a crush on you? Would you be like, 'Ew, she's like my sister,'" Jen proposed with one hand, "Or 'Woah, I think I like her too'?" she held out her other.

Wyatt made a weird face, "Hypothetically?"

"O-of course." she stuttered.

"Does… Caitlin have a crush on me?" Wyatt asked hesitantly.

Jen was taken aback, "What? No?"

"Do you?"

"No!"

Wyatt wiped his forehead with his sleeve, "Whew, you scared me for a second there."

Jen rolled her eyes, "So you would be the 'Ew' scenario."

Wyatt held up his hands in protest, "Well, it's not like there's anything 'Ew' about you guys… I just don't think of any of you in that way."

'Great. Jude probably thinks the same way.' Jen sighed dejectedly.

Wyatt peered inquisitively at his friend, "You look really disappointed, are you sure you don't like me?"

"Yes!" she threw her hands up in frustration, "I'm sure!"

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

Entering the Penalty Box Caitlin was feeling surprisingly refreshed, her plan was going on without a hitch! Ah, the joys of matchmaking. Soon she spotted Jen uninterestedly helping a customer.

"The nose plug pinches my nose and makes it really hard to breathe when I swim." The nerdy man complained in a nasally voice.

Jen raised an eyebrow, "It's suppose to do that so water doesn't go up your nose." She handed him a case, "Here, why don't you try these goggles first and see if they fit." She turned to Caitlin as the man struggled to stretch the goggles over his head.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Caitlin asked cheerfully.

"Ow! My eye!"

Jen winced as the goggles collided with the nerdy man's face, "Not as smooth as I'd hoped. Wyatt wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of dating you or me."

She brushed off the comment and giggled, "Oh, you're just exaggerating, besides, you don't want Wyatt to be interested, you want Jude!"

"Ok, wait, why do you sound so happy?" Jen's heartbeat raced with hope as she clutched Caitlin's arms, "What happened with Jude?"

Caitlin practically glowed, "Omigosh Jen! Jude is such a sweetie! I mean, who knew, eh?" she showed Jen her forearm, "Look! I've got goose bumps!"

Jen's eyes widened, "Woah, this is big…"

Caitlin nodded, "Are you on break soon?"

She looked around the near empty store, save for one customer rolling on the floor clutching his eye, "I can take one now, lemme get changed first."

* * *

As soon as Jen walked out, Caitlin grabbed a hold of her, leaned down and whispered as if she was telling a secret or a juicy bit of gossip… which she kind of was… "Well, we got to talking about Starr- I mean, Nebula, and he was really sweet about it. Even though it's been a while since they broke up and he's had other girlfriends, he still thinks she was special. How adorable is that?"

Jen's felt her brain explode. Like literally. Like, a bomb went off inside her head and now brain goo was oozing out of her ears. Her mouth dropped open but no sound came out. Noticing Jen's blank stare Caitlin panicked and waved her hands frantically in front of her face, "Jen? Are you okay?"

Suddenly her eyes focused and with renewed energy Jen latched onto Caitlin. "Caitlin!" she squeaked, "That's horrible!"

"W-why?" she stuttered while being shook.

"That means Jude still isn't over her! I can't compete with an ex, who was completely perfect for him and who he still has feelings for!"

Realization dawned on Caitlin's face as what her findings meant for Jen, "Oh… right…"

Jen's shoulders slumped in defeat as she placed her hood over her head, "Ugh, I think I'm just gonna go curl up and die." she moaned as she pulled the strings to hide her face.

Caitlin's mind raced as she caught a glimpse of Jude skateboarding from the corner of her eye, "It's not time for a pity party yet!" she grabbed Jen's hand, "Come on!"

"W-wait, where are we going?" Jen wobbled, her hoodie obscuring her sight.

"I'm making it up to you, just play along." She called out to the skater, "Jude!"

Seeing his two friends he slowed his skateboard down to a slow roll, "Sup, dudettes?" he peered inquisitively at Jen, "What's up with Jen?"

"Jude, I need you to do a favor for me…" Caitlin pressed her hands to together and gave her best puppy dog eyes, "Jen's not feeling well, but I gotta go back to the lemon, so you're in charge of making Jen feel better. You can't let go of her hand until she does, ok? Can I count on you for this?"

Jude thought for a second and saluted to Caitlin, "You got it bra!"

"W-what? Caitlin, wait!" Jen tugged off her hood to see Jude had taken her place… and he was holding her hand.

Jen closed her eyes hoping it was a dream, "She left, didn't she?"

"Yep, dudette can run pretty fast on heels."

Hearing Jude, she sneaked a peek with one eye, 'Nope, still here.' "O-oh, well, um, I gotta go too, see you!" Jen turned to leave, but Jude still holding on to her hand, pulled her back.

"Sorry bra, no can do. I promised Caitlin I'd helped you feel better."

"Ahaha…" she laughed nervously, "She was just kidding… I feel totally fine! Totally… you can let go now."

"You don't look fine to me." He said as-a-matter-of-factly, "What's the damage?"

Jen squirmed, "I'd rather not say."

Jude looked at the ceiling, "Well, that's ok, you don't have to tell me, I guess. We'll just go through the patented Jude Lizowski's Make Jen Feel Better Program!" he finished proudly.

Jen bit her lip and tried not to laugh, "And this is suppose to make me feel better?"

He grinned, "I guarantee it or double your money back!"

She opened her mouth to retort but was dragged away by an excited Jude, "To the arcade!"

* * *

Leading Nikki into a near empty theatre, Jonesy inwardly cheered, 'Score! Perfect alone time with Nikki.' They decided on seats in the middle row and sat down to wait for the movie to start. Soon the lights dimmed as the previews played on the big screen.

Nikki turned to Jonesy who gave her a wink and a grin that made her heart melt, 'This isn't so bad, I could get used to this,' she thought to herself as she settled in her seat.

Suddenly something hit Jonesy in the back of his head, "Hey!" Jonesy yelled and turned around in his seat to see Stanley holding a nerf gun. "You little brat!" he lunged at the troublemaker with arms outstretched as if to strangle him before Nikki pulled him back down.

"Just ignore him." Nikki told him.

Jonesy glanced back at Stanley who stuck his tongue out with a 'Nyah' and protested, "B-but he-" he stopped when Nikki gave him a look. A look that said she was going to kick his butt if he didn't listen. He closed his mouth.

Yummy Mummy chimed in, "I'm sorry Jonesy dear, was my little Stanley being naughty again?" she asked innocently.

Unable to help himself, Jonesy's eyes strayed to her pouty lips and pushed up cleavage, "Ah-buh…" he failed to form anything coherent.

Nikki smacked him on the back of the head, "Stop ogling her!" she hissed.

"Ow!" he rubbed his head, "I wasn't!"

"Oh really? You have a little drool left on your chin," she said pointedly.

Wiping his mouth, Jonesy smiled sheepishly, "Sorry."

* * *

Jen stared at the entrance, "Are you sure about the arcade?"

"It's the perfect place to unwind, just don't mind the little dudes." Jude ushered her in and stopped in front of an arcade machine, "Here, this one's good for unwinding."

Recognizing some of the graphics she asked, "Isn't this the game you and Jonesy play all the time?"

Jude nodded and inserted some quarters, "Basically you take this gun and you shoot any bad guys that pop up." He picked up the gun and looked at it thoughtfully, then he looked at their still together hands, which caused Jen to blush, "Hmm…" he tapped the gun against his head, deep in thought.

Jen frowned, "…Jude?"

"Ok, I got it."

Jen furrowed her eyebrows in confusion until she realized Jude had stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around hers so that the two could hold the gun with all both hands. "There, I'm still holding your hand." Jude grinned.

"Ah… right." Jen hid her crimson face behind her hair.

"Alright, who's ready to shoot some baddies?" he asked enthusiastically as the game started.

Jen's heart thumped quickly in her chest, 'This is exactly like that time in the photo booth, except… except his arms are around me! What do I do?' she thought to herself frantically.

"Relax," Jude breathed in her ear, causing Jen to shiver, "Ok, feet apart, aim with both eyes, you're the guy in blue, and shoot that guy!"

Jen pulled the trigger, "I got him!" she cried incredulously.

"Awesome! You're a natural, dudette, keep going!" Jude cheered.

* * *

'Time for the ol' yawn and stretch.' Jonesy thought to himself and faked a yawn to put his arm around Nikki.

"Wow, do people still do that?" Nikki snorted but smiled and leaned in, she tilted the tub of popcorn towards Jonesy who grinned and took a handful and popped them in his mouth.

"It worked didn't it?"

Latecomers Jason and Joanie took the seats in front of them and started making out.

"Aw, gimme a break, I didn't pay to see these two swap spit." groaned Jonesy.

Nikki rolled her eyes, "Wonderful."

"Why don't we give them a show of our own?" Jonesy wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She blush slightly and punched him on the shoulder, "I'll just settle with throwing popcorn at them."

"Hey, that looks kinda fun." Jonesy grabbed some popcorn and joined in.

Nikki grinned, "Oh, it is."

Unknowingest to them, the couple kept kissing with popcorn showering over them, it looked kind of romantic actually… until they broke apart to gasp for air and a kernel of popcorn flew into Jason's mouth and he started choking.

"Oh my God! Dude, I'm so sorry!" Nikki cried and started slapping his back.

"Nikki, I got this!" Jonesy moved Nikki to the side and started the Heimlich maneuver. Nikki watched in horror as Jonesy did abdominal thrusts to the gagging Jason. All of a sudden the kernel flew out and hit Joanie on the forehead and the crowd behind them started cheering.

"Jonesy that was amazing!" Nikki said in disbelief.

He shrugged, "Jen made me take a first aid course with her. It was nothing." and sat back down.

Nikki sat down as well, "No really, I was so freaked out and you just came in and saved him."

Someone else took a seat on the other side of Jonesy, "Howdy, partner." the cowboy put his arm around Jonesy, "That was some mighty nice Heimlich maneuver you got there." He tipped his hat in appreciation.

Of all the people who came to congratulate him. "Ok, this is getting a bit ridiculous!" Jonesy jumped up and backed away from the cowboy. The people behind them groaned and shushed, eager to get back to the movie.

"Ahem." A flashlight shone on their faces, "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you two to leave." the usher said monotonically.

* * *

"I can't believe we got kicked out." Nikki sighed and slapped her forehead.

"I can't believe it either! I'm supposed to be a hero!" Jonsey cried with his arms outstretched, "Sorry about the bogus date, Nikki." he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

She smiled slyly, "Well, I had fun." Placing her hands on Jonesy's face she stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.

Surprised, Jonesy quickly realized to close his eyes and wrap his arms around Nikki.

* * *

Jen scanned the high score list, "Who's Zamboni Dude? Is that you?"

"You bet!" smiled Jude.

Jen raised an eyebrow and smirked as her competitive side got the better of her, "So, I guess that means I just beat your high score."

Jude took a second look, "No way! Dudette, you rock!"

She laughed, "That was fun, thanks Jude."

"No prob."

Looking down at their hands and thinking that the 'program' was over, Jen hesitated, "So… I guess-"

Jude's stomach growled, "Hold that though, time for some snackage. To Burger McFlipster's!" Jude pulled her along again, "You can't feel better on an empty stomach." He reasoned.

* * *

'Something seems odd here.' Wyatt thought to himself. A few minutes ago, Jude and Jen came in and were thinking about what to order but something seemed different and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Two Combo #4s my good man." Jude drawled.

"Sure thing, Jude." Wyatt turned around to get their orders and sighed, 'What is it? I can't figure it out.' Putting the tray on the counter, he rung up the order on the cash register, "That'll be $9.18."

Jude pulled out some change from his pocket and a coin fell to the ground, "Whoops, dropped a quarter." He bent down to pick it up and that's when Wyatt saw, they were holding hands!

Realization dawned on Wyatt's face as he thought back to the conversation with Jen, "You-"

Jen panicked as Wyatt opened his mouth and shook her head furiously.

He continued unable to stop himself, "-like J-" Jen swiftly grabbed a handful of fries and stuffed them in Wyatt's mouth.

"Dude," Jude frowned as he came back up, "I would've given you some if you'd asked."


End file.
